Microbially Induced Carbonate Precipitation (MICP) as a Sustainable Technology, Mechanism and Application: A Review

Microbially induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) is a sustainable biomineralization technology with extensive potential in environmental remediation, geotechnical engineering, and materials science, characterized by its eco-friendliness, low energy consumption, and high compatibility. This paper systematically reviews the biochemical mechanisms, critical influencing factors, and recent engineering advancements of MICP. We first explore the metabolic pathways driven by urease and carbonic anhydrase (CA), emphasizing the synergistic effects of microbial strain selection and environmental parameters—such as temperature, pH, and substrate composition—on mineralization efficiency. Furthermore, the review evaluates the latest application cases, including the immobilization of heavy metals and radionuclides, remediation of building materials, soil stabilization, CO2 sequestration, and the fabrication of novel biomaterials, highlighting MICP’s role in enhancing engineering performance while mitigating environmental risks. By comparing the cost and sustainability of MICP against traditional chemical methods, this paper identifies current technological bottlenecks—such as reaction efficiency and material brittleness—and proposes future research directions, including synthetic biology for strain optimization and artificial intelligence-assisted design for site-specific applications. Ultimately, this review provides a theoretical framework to guide basic research and promote innovative, scalable deployment of MICP in sustainable technology sectors.